The new Mavericks big man once was an up-and-comer with the Spurs before things went sideways, Tiago Splitter arrived and Blair’s stock went down faster than a margarita on the Riverwalk.

So what happened?

“I don’t know,” Blair said. “Pop stopped [playing] me. I couldn’t tell you what was going through that man’s head at all. Nobody knows but him.”

What was perfectly clear, though, was that Blair needed a change of address.

“I had to leave and come here where I think they’ll give me confidence and believe in me,” he said. “I didn’t think they believed in me in San Antonio, so that’s pretty good here. I feel supported. That’s how it is.”

As a rookie, after being the 37th overall draft pick in the 2009 draft (in which the Mavericks got Roddy Beaubois 12 picks earlier), Blair played in all 82 games and started 23. He would start 127 games over the following two seasons and missed only three games during that time.

Then came last season. With Splitter representing a sizable investment on the Spurs’ behalf, Blair slipped to the background. He went from 21 minutes per game to 14 and saw his numbers drop accordingly.

Blair, who signed a one-year deal for about $950,000 with the Mavericks, is angling for a revival of his career. And he’s only 24, despite having four years of experience, so his best years figure to be just starting. Think of him as a younger Elton Brand.

The Mavericks signed him specifically to fill the void that Brand left. As Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said, Blair isn’t afraid of contact.

“DeJuan, I think he’s a beast, and he put us on our backs a few times and had no problems dunking on us [when with the Spurs],” Cuban said. “And I think he’s ready to turn that around and send it in the other direction. So yeah, I think DeJuan will help us.”

For Blair, at least the first four years of his NBA career were spent learning on the fly with a good team and a sharp coach.

With Rick Carlisle and the Mavericks, the only thing that might change is some added playing time, Blair hopes.

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